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Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • john0316john0316 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 04 Jetta 1.8 Turbo and it spits and sputters on different days can not find any rime or reason. Engine light does not come on when this happens.
    Any suggestions

    Thanks
  • 600kgolfgt600kgolfgt Member Posts: 690
    It might be dirty fuel injectors. Try putting a couple of bottles of Chevron fuel injector cleaner with Techron (or something stronger in the form of a fuel system cleaner). Also, try a couple of tankfuls of a good premium fuel (Shell Premium, BP (Amoco) Ultimate, etc.)...
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Dont forget that the 1.8T engine REQUIRES premium fuel at all times. Running lower-octane fuel in a turbocharged engine is asking for trouble. (like holes in the pistons from preignition)
  • 600kgolfgt600kgolfgt Member Posts: 690
    Dont forget that the 1.8T engine REQUIRES premium fuel at all times. Running lower-octane fuel in a turbocharged engine is asking for trouble. (like holes in the pistons from preignition)

    I was referring to a good quality PREMIUM fuel, as opposed to the premium fuel from the local Joe's Gas Station...

    You're preaching to the choir. I've been telling everyone this for quite some time, thank you... I've owned and worked on VWs for over 25 years (1975 Mk1 Scirocco - 6 years, 1987 Mk2 VW Golf GT - 16 years, 1997 Mk3 Jetta Trek - 4 years, 2003 Mk4 Wolfsburg Jetta 1.8T - 4 years, and 2003 B5 Passat GLS 1.8T - 4 years). With the exception of the 1975 Scirocco, I've used nothing BUT premium fuel in every one of my VWs.

    And to top it all off (having a mechanical background), I perform my own diagnostics with VAG-COM Diagnostic module and software (same software the dealer uses) which covers OBD-II equipped vehicles from mid-1996 through early 2005 (which basically covers the last three vehicles on my list).

    For example, not many car owners have performed a complete rebuild of a 1997 Jetta's cruise control system (I can practically do this in my sleep).

    I appreciate your concern - but I've been around the block a lot more times than you realize... :shades:
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    I am glad to hear from someone else that has actually held a piston in their hand. :D

    I did not intend to suggest that you are not aware of need for premium fuel. Lets work together to keep the masses informed about the care and feeding of VWs.

    While we are speaking of our competencies... I also have designed/built electronic circuits and write enterprise-level software. (ie... similar to the software that runs this edmunds website or ebay.)

    BTW: As I recall, my 1976 Scirocco ran on LEADED fuel. 1976 was the last year that VWs were rated to run on LEADED fuel. After running on UNleaded fuel for a few years, the valves burned up and the engine lost compression.
  • problemjettaproblemjetta Member Posts: 5
    Hi-I can't believe I found this! I experienced the SAME first half of your problem yesterday. My car is the exact same year, make, and model as yours too with 35k on it. Yesterday was a very hot day and I was on about 3/4 of the way through an hour long drive when my EPC and Check Engine light came on. I noticed that I had a loss of power as well and the car was running rough. I drove directly to the dealership and dropped the car off and this is what they told my husband this morning. "When the car gets hot, the coolant fans are just shutting off, which is why the lights are coming on. We have to order a whole new fan system for the car." They also told him that there was water around my fuse box??? They said they took it apart and made sure there was no water in it, which supposedly there was not.
    This is just one of the many things I have had go wrong with this car. I didn't even have the car almost the entire month of December in 2005 because it was in the dealerships service dept. They couldn't seem to fix the problems. I have even had to get Volkswagen involved b/c I am so unhappy with this car. So needless to say, they've said I won't get my car back until Saturday, or Monday and chances are, it won't be the same. The car has NEVER shifted correctly and maybe this way why. The service dept always told me there was nothing wrong....
    I was the first person to buy the new style jetta from this certain dealership too, so my car has been the guinea pig for the service dept. I know it's not their fault for the car's issues, but I can't deal with these problems every couple of months. I had great success with the first VW I owned, but not this one. I would never buy another one. :mad: :mad: :cry:
  • spinfitspinfit Member Posts: 2
    Well, at least its not just me. I just got the car back from the dealership on Wednesday. They said that the new wire harness from the throttle control sensor to the EPC/ECM was what seemed to fix the problem. So within 10 days I had to bring the car to the dealership three times and they replaced one of the cooling fans, the gas pedal, the throttle control sensor, and the wire harness from the throttle control sensor to the EPC/ECM. Luckily, it was all covered by the warranty. So far, so good. I immediately noticed more engine power and it also wa a really hot day when I brought it home, 100 degrees.

    I also will never buy another VW. :confuse: :mad: :lemon: They drive nice, but they have so many problems.

    Good Luck to you!
  • joker55joker55 Member Posts: 49
    Hey Guys

    I own a 1999 Jetta, Automatic, and I had my car recently service for the cam shaft sensor, when i picked it up, the air bag light came on

    i hooked it up to see what i could get on the computer and this is the code and description i got

    "00589 - airbag ignition circuit 1 passenger side n131"

    can someone explain this to me? i am a lil weiry to bring it back to my mechanic as i seem to think he may have caused this problem while working on the car

    so far, i've been told it is my passenger side air bag and that the "ignition pack" is defective.....where is the ignition pack in the car??

    any thoughts anybody??? anything would be greatly appreciated.

    thanks
  • mariog2000mariog2000 Member Posts: 2
    I've got the same problem. Everything came apart just fine until I actually tried to get the stupid ignition switch out. I can't find any way to get the ignition out???!!!! I'm happy to trade any software you can image including a permenant antivirus software key in exchange for info on how to replace the ignition switch aside from smashing it out with a 10 pound hammer. Everything came apart just fine until it came to actually removing the stupid ignition switch. German engineering at it's finest. ANY HELP will be repaid!!!
    mariog2000@yahoo.com
    thanks in advance for any help fixing what should be a simple fix!!!!!
  • mariog2000mariog2000 Member Posts: 2
    I've got the same problem. Everything came apart just fine until I actually tried to get the stupid ignition switch out. I can't find any way to get the ignition out???!!!! I'm happy to trade any software you can image including a permenant antivirus software key in exchange for info on how to replace the ignition switch aside from smashing it out with a 10 pound hammer. Everything came apart just fine until it came to actually removing the stupid ignition switch. German engineering at it's finest. ANY HELP will be repaid!!!
    mariog2000yahoo.com
    thanks in advance for any help fixing what should be a simple fix!!!!!
  • katiekatie Member Posts: 2
    I have 2002 Jetta 1.8T and both my running lights are out. I checked the fuse panel and there doesn't seem to be a fuse for that. Any suggestions?
  • asifgrkhanasifgrkhan Member Posts: 13
    My 2000 Jetta with the 2.0 L engine & 4 speed auto gearbox has been making a noise for the past some time.
    Here are more details:

    - The noise is similar to that of a small moped -- like trrrrrrr
    - The noise is like if a small piece of plastic is brushing against the fan or the drive shaft.
    - This sometimes comes when driving - but not always. This makes me think that it could be related to transmission fluid
    - While stationary, when the engine is on, it never makes that noise even with 2000-3000 rpm

    My car has done 71k miles and i just had an engine oil change.
    Do I need to change the transmission oil also periodically. I have had this car for about 8k miles and have changed the engine oil every 3k miles but dont have any idea about transmission oil intervals.
  • joker55joker55 Member Posts: 49
    dude!

    i drive a 99 auto and have the exact same thing happen when i accelerate, mine sounds as if it is coming from underneath the car, i too notice that "Trrrr" noise, not drastically loud, but noticeable if you listen closely, sounds like something is vibrating.i can often hear the sound bouncing back of a building wall if i am driving close to it. i keep thinking that something is loose under the car, but i've checked and nothing seems out of the ordinary, also checked for stones in the C.Converter cover but nothing.

    if you or anybody figures anything out, please post and lemme know

    thanks
  • duckhook78duckhook78 Member Posts: 4
    I just took my Jetta in for service to fix leaking engine coolant. I replaced the waterpump and otherwise the car is running fairly well. My only concern is that my fuel efficiency is down to around 15mpg around town. I live in the District of Columbia and really only use the car to commute to work. The tires are in good shape, my only thought is to use a Fuel Injector Cleaner next time I fill up. Does anyone have recommendations for certain brands to use, or if these cleaners really improve the cars performance?
  • dancermandancerman Member Posts: 220
    I have used various brands of fuel injector cleaner but I think you get what you pay for and some of the cheap stuff is a waste of money. Stick with the name brands like Chevron Techron.

    Your reported mileage is on the low side for a VR6. In any case if you use fuel injector cleaner regularly, you may notice a smoother running engine but a large gain in mileage is not to be expected.

    I have 91000 miles on a 2002 VR6. Up until the last 6 months those miles were moderate to high speed driving. I regularly got 30 mile per gallon and higher on the highway and 25 miles per gallon in town. Now that my driving is 8 miles a day in town, the mileage has dropped considerably to about 21 mile per gallon. Even highway driving will not get to 30 miles per gallon any longer. It's as if the engine computer has forgot how to be efficient. Very dissappointing lately.

    By the way, I run my tires at 36 psi and drive like an old man. :)
  • wijwij Member Posts: 2
    I have a strange problem with a 94 Jetta III 1.8 L. It coughs and splutters like it's running out of gas right after starting, hot or cold. The problem is worse when accellerating. What's strange, is that it will smooth at a given RPM, and cough above it, but that RPM goes up as you drive. On a long freeway trip, it goes away completely. I tried cleaning and disconnecting the MAF sensor. No change. Any ideas?

    Alan
  • 600kgolfgt600kgolfgt Member Posts: 690
    I have 2002 Jetta 1.8T and both my running lights are out. I checked the fuse panel and there doesn't seem to be a fuse for that. Any suggestions?

    Replace the headlight bulbs. The headlights and running lights are one in the same in the Jetta. I just changed mine on my 2003 Wolfsburg Jetta 1.8T.

    HTH...
  • dancermandancerman Member Posts: 220
    Do your headlights work when you switch them on? If they do then someone has disabled your DRL (daytime running light) feature. Usually this is done by modifying the wiring or light switch.
  • revmarketrevmarket Member Posts: 48
    How would I go about doing this for a 1998 Jetta that belongs to my daughter.
    I figure it would help extend the life of the headlights to have them off during the day.
    Thanks.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Why disable this safety feature just to save a few bucks on headlight replacement?
  • gcmiller4gcmiller4 Member Posts: 2
    Did you ever find what was wrong with your Jetta? I have the exact same problem.

    Gregory Miller
    Honolulu
  • gcmiller4gcmiller4 Member Posts: 2
    I have the same problem. Did you ever figure out what it was?
  • kfeigumkfeigum Member Posts: 3
    My lousy VW would not start this afternoon. I jumped it and let it run for a minute then began to drive it. It died at the 2nd red light I came to. I jumped it turned off all the accessories and it died on the 3rd red light. I jumped it again and let it idle, I started turning things on, blinkers, hazard lights and it died again. HELP!! What is causing this?
  • dancermandancerman Member Posts: 220
    I wholly agree with jeffyscott and don't recommend this. If you are determined though... you may find answers here.

    http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeromain
  • dancermandancerman Member Posts: 220
    Get your battery and charging system checked.
  • jodar96jodar96 Member Posts: 400
    I just bought the above Jetta, will be flying out to pick it up. It has 69K miles. It was a CPO VW before this guy bought it 29K miles ago. It has 6K miles left on the 75K warranty. I guess the guy was very happy with VW since he just bought a brand new GTI.

    When I bring this Jetta back, it will have 4K left on warranty. What do I need to watch for in this Jetta before the warranty runs out? What is the motor oil weight for this engine? I know they say to use synthetic, but if I stick to 3K miles, do I still need to use synthetic? I know VWs are NOT very reliable, but I fell for this one sine 1.8T and 5 speed are fun combination in a Jetta.

    Do the 1.8T have the same oil buring problem of 2.0L engines?

    Thanks,
    Joe
  • zachmatthewszachmatthews Member Posts: 1
    Hey guys -

    I recently had to get towed from Tennessee down to Atlanta because my 00 Jetta (stick) developed a wicked vibration and loud grinding noise coming from the front of the car.

    The car started by shimmying all over the road like it had a flat tire, then after I confirmed the tires were fine and tried to push on, it developed an increasingly loud clanking and clunking noise coming from right under the front passengers' feet (on both sides, I think).

    $450 in towing and a complete new set of tires ($150 with pro-rated price) later, I got it to a mechanic who diagnosed a bad axle. I've previously had an axle replaced in this vehicle due to a garage screw-up, so I thought this sounded plausible. First the mechanic replaced the left (driver's side) axle, then the noise/shimmy/grinding came back, so today he replaced the passenger-side axle. Both were $285, so I'm up to $1,170 spent so far.

    Bad news is, the noise only shows up when the car's been driven for at least 40 miles at 60nph or more. It's very hard for me to find time to make those runs, so I am unsure if this latest axle job repaired the problem. However, I believe I did detect the early signs of the problem (shimmy and a between-the-seats rattle) when I test drove it around.

    Also, the new passenger axle is causing a wicked vibration at 3500 RPM in all gears. I think the aftermarket version of the axle basically doesn't fit properly.

    Assuming my problem comes back, as it seems like it is going to, any ideas? Both axles are now replaced and the tires are brand new.

    Thanks,
    Zach
  • patan328patan328 Member Posts: 2
    hey, i have a new version 99 jetta VR6, and i have the same problems as you. I know a guy who saw my car a little while ago, he worked at a vw dealership as a mechanic. He said that i needed the throttle position sensor and that would fix the little problem i had then. Now, for the past two days my EPC light came on, all my brake lights went out, and i can't get out of park easily, all which happened at the same time. It takes soo long and a lot of patience for it to move. Does this sound like your problem, and why didn't the sensor fixing work? Was it expensive and is your car fixed now? :cry: :confuse: Thanks, Patty
  • patan328patan328 Member Posts: 2
    please tell me that it wasn't that expensive. I son't have a warranty cause i bought it from a woman whose warranty was expired. That sounds exactly like mine, the brake lights don't work, the epc light is on, the check engine light is on, and the car won't shift from park or neutral without a lot of patience and time. Please help so that i have some idea on how much to save. thank you, patty :cry::cry: :mad:
  • dsherman412dsherman412 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 94 Jeta GL. It reciently started to stall out at hightway speed. The car stalls out, I pull off the side of the road and restart and take off again. The problem is intermittent it might do it two or three times in a row or it might not do it for another day or so. It is geting to happen more frequently. My machinac wants me to start changing out components such as fuel pump and then coil pak and so on till the problem gets solved. His solution is going to get expensive. Do you know of any one having this problem and what they did to solve it?
  • freegyrlfreegyrl Member Posts: 2
    Hello!

    I am the owner of a 2001 Jetta and it has tons of problems.

    1. the check engine light will come on and off at random.

    2. the EPC light will do the same thing but now it is staying on for longer durations.

    3. My brake lights just stopped working. I checked fuses, replaces bulbs and they still aren't working.

    The manual doesn't really tell much about what the EPC light means but I did read a forum that said perhaps it is related to the ignition coil.

    Any help would be appreciated. I am taking the car in on Monday or Tuesday but I would like a little prepared and knowledgeable about what could be going on. I am female and knowledge is power especially when I go see a mechanic.
  • freegyrlfreegyrl Member Posts: 2
    Hello!

    I am the owner of a 2001 Jetta and it has tons of problems.

    1. the check engine light will come on and off at random.

    2. the EPC light will do the same thing but now it is staying on for longer durations.

    3. My brake lights just stopped working. I checked fuses, replaces bulbs and they still aren't working.

    The manual doesn't really tell much about what the EPC light means but I did read a forum that said perhaps it is related to the ignition coil.

    Any help would be appreciated. I am taking the car in on Monday or Tuesday but I would like a little prepared and knowledgeable about what could be going on. I am female and knowledge is power especially when I go see a mechanic.
  • dancermandancerman Member Posts: 220
    There have been a series of factory recalls on Jetta brake light switches. I believe the EPC light may result from a faulty brake light switch. Ask the service mechanic about the recalls. Hopefully this will be a free repair. Please post your experience. Good Luck.
  • wijwij Member Posts: 2
    Some additional on this. First of all, it's the 2.0L ABA engine, not the 1.8 as i thought.
    I replaced the plugs and discovered that 2 had no center electrode, 1 had no side electrode and 1 wasn't even screwed in. it's no surprise that it ran rough, the surprise is it ran at all.

    I also discovered that the Crankcase Emission Valve was cracked (VW's $75 version of a PCV valve).

    After replacing, plugs (which required removing the intake manifold) , wires ($100?) cap and rotor, it runs a little better but now has a miss. I'm going back over the hose connections this afternoon to try to track it down, and I have an CEV on order.

    any suggestions are welcome :sick:
  • prooferproofer Member Posts: 6
    I have a 2002 VW Jetta Turbo. Something must have worked loose, because I sure have a LOUD rattling noise coming from my passenger door in the back left. It started subtle, just making the rattling when hitting the bigger bumps. Now it's rattling just driving down the road and it's driving me nuts. Something's definitely loose inside there. (1) Can someone show me instructions on how to remove the door panel to take a look inside. (2) Also, is there anything that commonly comes loose in the Jetta's door panel so I know where to begin to look?
  • vdub4vdub4 Member Posts: 1
    I have 2006 Jetta GLI and have humming noise too. It is worst from 20-35 mph and than lessons quite a bit after that. It has 25K miles on it already, and the dealer said I needed new tires and that it doesn't make the noise on the lift so it's not the wheel bearings. At 25K, I don't think I should have to replace the tires, esp since they are good for 50K. I don't think it's the tires...Any ideas?
  • jodar96jodar96 Member Posts: 400
    It could be your tires. What is your tire profile? 60, 55, 50?

    Your tires have probably started to feather, and that is why you hear the humming. You could rotate the tires, but it is too late. With low profile tires, it is wise to rotate as early as 3K miles for the first 12K miles, and then rotate at 5K miles.

    Your tires could be 50K mile tires and you could probably drive until 50K miles if you are willing to live with the tire noise.

    If your tires are directional, Don't buy directional next time, so you can cross rotate the new set.

    Joe
  • joker55joker55 Member Posts: 49
    does the rear window work?
  • prooferproofer Member Posts: 6
    Yes, the rear window works just fine.
  • joker55joker55 Member Posts: 49
    alright, then it must be this....

    saw this on another website i am a frequent visitor to

    hope it helps

    http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=703200
  • joker55joker55 Member Posts: 49
    there is also this, apparently lots of people have the same problem :S

    http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2459724
  • prooferproofer Member Posts: 6
    Thanks, joker55, for those 2 links. We were going to try to open up the door panel ourselves, but it sounds pretty involved and time consuming (plus, that first link you sent that was to show opening up the door panel no longer was active and I just got an error message).

    I know that my problem is definitely not a speaker problem (no buzzing or problems with the stereo). But whatever's loose inside the door panel sounds pretty big, by the sound of the noise inside.

    Thanks again.
  • problemjettaproblemjetta Member Posts: 5
    AHH! So it's me again. I posted in June regarding the cooling system going in my new style, 2005, 2.5 automatic jetta. Well, things haven't gotten better since I got this hump of metal back. On Saturday I was driving into town and all of the sudden the vehicle started to smell like burning rubber. The smell was very strong and coming thru the vents with force since I had my fan on high. So I turned the AC off and rolled down the windwos to see if the smell was maybe being pulled from a fire outside-it was not. I stopped at an intersection and a plume of black smoke came out from under the closed hood. I checked the temp and it was right dead center. It had spiked quickly once, but returned to normal and did not waiver. I drove it to the dealership (which was about 1 mintue away) and left it there as instructed. My husband went to the dealership today and was told that the service mngr looked at it after I dropped it off and could smell the smell, but has not been able to determine where it came from and everything looks normal. They cannot find any evidence of burned wires or a fire. They are going to take it out again this evening and first thing in the a.m., but they have no idea. HELP!!! I want out of this constant headache. I have gotten VW involved, but I don't think I am going to get very far. :mad:
  • problemjettaproblemjetta Member Posts: 5
    Oh it's me again. The original poster. I spoke to VW customer care this afternoon and they say there is nothing they can do for me b/c it's "running to manufacturer specifications" and that's all they can do under the terms of the warranty. I didn't realize that black smoke and a burning smell were manufacturers specs. That car has been in the shop no less than ten times!!!!! :mad: :mad:
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I am sorry to hear of your experiences. It seems the lemon law count down, should have stated many visits back. :(
  • problemjettaproblemjetta Member Posts: 5
    Here is where my trouble lies...my state says it has to be a sever mechanical defect which occurred prior to 18k miles and has not been corrected. The first mechanical defect was with the gas gauge and they fixed that. All other defects occurred after 18k...I live in Maine. Does anyone have any experiences in this state they can help with?
  • walkaboutwalkabout Member Posts: 4
    Somehow today I think I managed to disable some of the power door lock features on my 2001 Jetta. The switch on either of the front doors won't lock the doors any longer. Even though the unlock feature still works. Also the doors don't autolock any more when I accelerate past 10mph. The fob still locks/unlocks the doors and turns on the alarm as normal by remote or by sticking the key in the lock.

    I was filling the tank this evening and I did the windows down feature using the key in the lock while the gas was pumping. When I got back in and started the engine the doors suddenly unlocked themselves and now it's in the state I described above. I don't remember pressing or toggling anything in particular.

    I've experienced something similar before when the automatic down/up on the front windows switches stopped working. The dealer did some magic sequence of events with the key and the door lock to re-enable the functionality. So I'm thinking it's a similar 'config' or software setting and not a hardware fault.

    Anyone familiar with this or know the procedure? And why on earth is none of this documented in the owners manual?

    All help is appreciated. Thx.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    The answer is (as usual)...VagCom
  • walkaboutwalkabout Member Posts: 4
    I don't think anything is actually wrong with the car. The power switches will lock with the fob after all. So I'm unsure why you think a fault code reader would help. I think a setting has been inadvertently triggered by my unsuspecting sequence of actions with the key/lock/ignition. This is what I'm asking about.
  • prooferproofer Member Posts: 6
    Can anyone send a link on how to take apart a 2002 Jetta door panel? There's a loud rattle coming from the inside of my back door behind the driver's seat. It's definitely not the speaker. It sounds like something big is loose inside that door. Thanks.
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